The City Comes Alive
by Vieux
Summary: Their life, told through a series of songs. It's the little moments where Shin might actually be a romantic, and Sena becomes a walking contradiction. /10 Shin x Sena drabbles, non-canon and slightly AU but still football related/ Done for the iPod Shuffle Challenge, cover art is mine


**A/N: Yes. I should be doing homework or finishing my other stories. But writing a few short Sena drabbles can't hurt, right? Ok so these drabbles are from the Music Shuffle Challenge (also known as the iPod Challenge, but I didn't feel like calling it that since I used my phone).**

 **How it works:**

 **You basically put your phone (or other music-playing device) on shuffle, and write a short drabble about each of the songs. This is so much harder than it looks. I type ridiculously fast (see, practicing piano helps with many things) and I barely managed to finish some of them :P**

 **And also, I must confess, I technically cheated on one of them because the song that came up was 'Downtown Girl' by Hot Chelle Rae and I couldn't see a realistic way of writing anything related to the song without genderbending one of the characters so I skipped it '-.-**

 **Warning: These are unedited because I'm not sure that complies with the rules of the challenge so spelling and grammar errors may be present… Although my accuracy is not the** _ **lowest**_ **so it should be alright?**

* * *

1\. _Don't Stop Believin'- Journey_

Sena's whole body shook with fear. America was too far. He couldn't even _count_ however many miles away it was, even if he did have the time. Hell, he didn't even speak fluent English. What if he was kidnapped?

Strong arms wrapped around him, and a firm hand rubbed his back.

"It's ok."

 _Shin_. And there it was, the second reason that Sena didn't want to leave Japan. Everything would be gone. His home, his family, his friends… _his boyfriend_.

"I-It's not ok." He shook his head, almost mute from the large lump that had formed in his throat.

"It is."

"I can't do this."

"You can."

"…" It was unfair to ask Shin to wait for him, really. He was going away, far away, and Shin needed to focus on football. And yet, the selfish temptation was still their, chewing away at Sena's insides like a mouse gnawing on cheese.

"I'll wait for you."

Sena looked up. "You will?"

"Believe in me. Believe in us."

"Wow, Shin-san can be romantic sometimes too."

"Romantic? I know not the meaning of that word." Stoic as always.

Sena's lips curved into a smile. Maybe, for the moment, everything was ok.

* * *

2\. _Holy Ground- Taylor Swift_

The cheers of the crowd were deafening. Sena closed his eyes and listened to the wind around him, tuning out the rest of the world. The last play.

Setting up, he waited for the hut and the snap that would signal either the beginning or the end.

There it was.

Before he knew it, his legs were moving. They burned with a searing heat and a stabbing pain. He felt his fingers curl around the rough outside texture of the football, securing it under his armpit.

Side-step, spin, cut to the right.

Dodge to the left.

His body moved instinctively, and soon he could see the end zone up ahead.

 _Almost there_.

30 yards.

20 yards.

10 yards.

And then, out of nowhere, a large bulky figure jumped towards him.

 _Oh no._

He immediately tried to shift his weight backwards; to shorten his stride, and cut to the left- but damn the field was slippery. Almost in slow motion, his right leg slid out from under him, and it took all he had just to regain his balance. He saw a clobbering fist reach towards his face.

Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted up.

 _It's over._

But wait, the arm was still reaching for him. And then he, Kobayakawa Sena, was flying. Over the bulky boy, over the wet green grass, _over the clean white line!_

He landed hard on his side and had the wind knocked clean out of him. The entire world spun as he stared up at the sky. He could have sworn that he had just saw..

"Shin?" Sena croaked, struggling to sit up.

Touchdown.

And just when he was about to regain his thoughts, not to mention his breath, his lungs were crushed for the second time that day as something huge, hard, and heavy landed on top of him.

Sena closed his eyes and pushed away the pain. Was it a touchdown or not? His arm was so numb, he couldn't even feel if he was holding the ball anymore.

And then… "Apologies." Opening his eyes, Sena found himself staring into the eyes of none other than Shin Seijuro.

"S-shin-san?"

"Apologies, did I throw you too hard?" Shin got off of him and stood up. His hand was outstretched, preparing to help Sena up.

"N-n-n-no, o-of course not!" Sena stammered. He tilted his head to look at the scoreboard.

It had been a touchdown. Slowly, Sena took Shin's outstretched hand as he stood up. He placed the football down on the wet grass where they had both landed a few seconds ago.

He never looked back.

Because right there, where they stood, was holy ground.

* * *

 _3\. Jesus Christ- Brand New_

"Shin-san!" A voice called out. Shin could here it from inside the boy's changing room.

"Shin, it's your boyfriend again, ahaha!" Otawara roared, laughing. "Want me to go grab him for you?"

Shin scowled. "No need. And put on your pants before he comes in here, please."

"What, jealous? Insecure?" Takami smirked.

Shin scoffed and turned his head. "Of course not." The endless teasing he had to sustain about Sena was starting to get on his nerves. Even someone as stoic as him had their limits.

Otawara laughed, but made no movement to change his rather… revealing state.

Suddenly, Shin heard Sena's voice outside the door. "Ah, hello S-Sakuraba-san, is Shin-san in there?"

"Huh? Shin? Yeah, he's in there, the door's unlocked, just go right in."

"O-oh, ok, thank you!"

Immediately Shin leapt up from the bench while making a mental note to kill Sakuraba later. He yanked open the door to reveal a slightly surprised and frightened Sena. "Hey." He was strategically blocking everything else in Sena's view.

"A-ah, Shin-san!" The smaller boy smiled with big brown eyes. "Um… so are you going to let me in… or…?" His big brown eyes were as wide as a fawn's.

"…"

"Or not! I mean, we could just go out since you're done with practice or something!" Sena hastily corrected, noticing Shin's obvious lack of response.

Shin nodded. He liked that idea. It wouldn't involve Sena seeing any of his teammates naked. "Alright." He closed the door and began to walk away. He stopped, and turned around. "Are you coming?"

He tensed, seeing Sena's hand on the doorknob.

"Shouldn't we say good-bye to your teammates first, Shin-san?"

He groaned. Jesus Christ, this boy was going to be the death of him.

* * *

 _4\. Favorite Record- Fall Out Boy_

The wind blew threw Sena's hair, ruffling the unruly locks as he sat in the front seat of Shin's new car. "S-Shin-san, I think you're driving a little bit over the speed limit-"

"No, it's fine. You chose to ride shotgun." The usual stoic response… except something about him seemed off.

Ok, something was definitely off. Shin was driving faster than any of the Zokkugaku gang on their bikes, and that was definitely saying something. Sena was about to say something when-

"Do you remember anything about the party last night?" Shin's gruff voice said suddenly.

"Uh… not really," Sena explained sheepishly. "Suzuna and Hiruma both spiked my drink, so it was way too much alcohol, and…yeah…"

"…We danced."

"A-Ah? Really? Well that's.. um…"

Suddenly, Shin hit the break, pulling the car over to the side of the empty highway under the vast purple skies. "Do you remember what you said?"

Sena's face flooded redder than a tomato. Oh god, what _had_ he said? Hopefully it wasn't embarrassing… Lord… "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean any of it, please just forget it," he spluttered.

Shin leaned over. "Let me refresh your memory, Kobayakawa Sena. Because I distinctly remember you telling me that I was the song stuck in your head."

Sena lowered his head, face flushed with embarrassment.

"And," Shin continued, leaning closer, "You told me that you spun for me like my favorite record used to."

Lord, this was too much. Sena had never felt so humiliated in his entire life.

Then, Shin leaned even closer. "But, I think you'll be glad to know that I can't remember just how to forget. I spin for you too."

And with that, he closes the gap between him and kisses the younger boy just as the sun sets beyond the horizon.

* * *

 _5\. Living Louder- The Cab_

"… Shin-san." Sena's voice was gentle as he rubbed Shin's back with his small hands, trying to soothe the older boy. "It's going t-to be alright."

Shin looked up.

He just didn't understand where they had gone wrong. They played their hardest. They travelled the world together with their team. They'd been _everywhere_. They even went out drinking with the other players to avoid suspicion.

He didn't rob banks or kiss strangers. He never stepped a toe out of line. And yet…

"I don't understand why my parents are mad." For the first time, Sena heard the pure, raw emotion in Shin's voice.

He reached over and wrapped his still scrawny arms around the older boy slightly awkwardly. "I don't know. I really don't. Maybe the media and the attention just became… too much. But.. I-I think that.. as long as.. we're together.. w-we can.. dream forever."

Shin looked up. He was right. The good died young, but the great always lasted. In the end, they were just kids who grew up way too fast;

In the end, they were both each other's soldiers.

They didn't need to live louder.

* * *

 _6\. Can You Find Me? – The Summer Set_

Sometimes Shin couldn't keep his monsters out of him. And sometimes Sena couldn't put down the pack of cigarettes.

Shin couldn't take off his dark shades, and Sena couldn't live out of the shadows in Time Square.

But at night, they were both trying to hang on to themselves. Trying to stay sane in the middle of the Metropolitan bright lights, with the bright cars around them.

Shin wondered if Sena would be able to find him in a crowd.

Sena wondered if Shin dreamt of him after the lights went down.

Because only together could they make it through the night alive.

* * *

 _7\. For Baltimore_

"Shin-san, you should really rest, you need to be in shape to play a good game and become-"

"… You should stop obsessing over my future." Shin turned his back slightly.

God, Sena wanted to stop thinking about everything. But he just couldn't- the weight of reality kept him anchored. Even the busy city sounds couldn't take his mind off of things.

"Your worries don't bother me."

Sena didn't know what to say in response, as he was completely rendered speechless.

"Let's go out."

"What?" Sena felt confused. Shin had a game tomorrow. "No, you have a game tomorrow, you should sleep early-"

"Please be quiet."

"But-"

Shin leaned over and kissed his boyfriend gently. "Come on." He held out his hand, which Sena hesitantly took.

After they finally got back to the hotel, Shin pulled him into a warm embrace as other people in the lobby around them stared.

And both of them wondered why this Thursday couldn't last forever.

"… I don't wanna say goodnight," Sena muttered. He clutched the older boy tighter, feeling his fingers clench at the fabric of his jacket.

"Then don't." Shin dipped his head to whisper in Sena's ear softly, because his words were only for the two of them; "The city comes alive when we're together."

Sena hesitated.

"You can come to my room," Shin suggested quietly.

"We're from different teams, wouldn't that look suspicious?" Sena murmured back, careful to keep his voice low.

Shin pulled him in even closer still. "Just do it for the memories. Do it for Baltimore. Do it for me." He refused to let the smaller boy go.

Finally, Sena relented, realizing that his (secret) boyfriend wouldn't take no for an answer tonight. "…Alright. Let's go."

 _It's for Baltimore, anyways._

* * *

 _8\. Walking Contradiction- Green Day_

Shin was convinced. Kobayakawa Sena was a walking contradiction. His brown eyes were as wide and soft as a small puppy's, or maybe even a fawn's. But on the football field, those gentle enchanting brown orbs turned into a hardened gaze, built over time through pressure and countless of battles.

And next was the personality. Off-field, Kobayakawa Sena was a gopher. Honestly. He ran around and did things for other people. He was easy to coerce, even easier to guilt-trip, and ridiculously easy to trick. But still, on the field, the small boy turned into a beautiful warrior, with a fierce, unwavering spirit as he ran.

And finally was the nerves. When he wasn't playing football, people called Kobayakawa Sena a coward. He hid from bullies instead of facing them. He never challenged anything that others said. He even ran away from Himura's dog (although Cerberus was probably enough to scare even the bravest of athletes). But anything related to football, and Kobayakawa Sena could turn into a beast. He defended Monta and Mamori, he challenged Riku, and most of all, he ran with Shin to steal back the money that Zokkugaku students had taken. In that moment, Shin had realized that Kobayakawa Sena was anything but a coward.

He was, for sure, a walking contradiction. A very lovable walking contradiction, in Shin's eyes.

* * *

 _9\. Autumn Leaves- Ed Sheeran_

Staring out at the landscape from his spot under a maple tree, Sena couldn't help but marvel at how complicated the world was. Each second, another day, another life, another soul passed on, just like his.

"Ne Shin-san, do you ever wonder if the stars shine out just for you?" He held up his hand and caught a floating red leaf, turning it over softly.

"…No."

"The world is so complicated. You can be miles away from someone, but still have been right next to them yesterday. And somehow, everything just keeps... moving"

Shin sighed. "It's not complicated. If you left, I would miss you. If I left, you would miss me," he stated simply. He kissed Sena's forehead, and moved down from there, before finally placing a gentle peck on his lips.

"..." Sena silently moved closer to Shin, curving into his body and relishing in the warmth.

"Close your eyes and sleep."

Sena plucked another stray swirling leaf out of the air and twirled it around a bit before dropping it in favor of laying his head down on Shin's lap, closing his eyes.

* * *

 _10\. This Is Halloween- Panic At The Disco_

Sena hated haunted houses. He couldn't even walk past an unmoving mummy within a glass case at a history museum without cringing at least a few times. But Shin seemed genuinely determined and interested to visit every single station at the Ojo Halloween festival, so who was Sena to refuse? It was Halloween anyways.

Once inside, Sena immediately began to regret his decision. Pumpkins screamed at him from the side of the 'road' they were on. There were weird rustling noises, and glowing red eyes. He froze in fear when he heard a whispering voice hiss, "Trick or treat, dear boy?" He finally turned away and noticed Shin, walking stoically up ahead as if nothing was remotely feat-inducing. He grimaced and hurried to catch up.

The next chamber was worse. Clowns danced around him, singing in shrieks. There was a pumpkin king with a jagged mouth and sharp teeth, hazardously carved. It lit up as they passed and Sena jumped violently. Wind blew through his hair and he shivered. Shin immediately wrapped his arms around him.

The next room was by far _the worst_. It felt as if spiders were crawling through his hair, and sharp shadows slowly began to move across the fake moon hung from the ceiling. Skeletons, banshees, everything that could possibly show up in Sena's nightmares appeared, dancing around them eerily.

After they finally got out of the darkness, Sena was barely even able to walk straight. He clutched Shin's hoodie tightly and refused to let go. Not that Shin was asking him to.

"Are you ok?" Shin frowned. "Perhaps going in their was a bad idea. I apologize for-"

"No, no, it's fine," Sena stammered hastily.

Shin's eyebrows narrowed. "…"

Sena smiled weakly. "This is Halloween, after all."

* * *

 **A/N: Finished! So I will admit that the Holy Ground by Taylor Swift drabble was a bit unfair because in my track of holy ground, I have like a 10 second silence after the end of the song. So I did get around 13 extra seconds to write (I have a three second silence in the beginning as well), which is actually quite a lot when you type as quickly as you can. Anyways, I will definitely be doing more of these because they're actually quite fun and spontaneous.**

 **I'm very sorry if these ideas were bad, because impromptu writing is actually kind of difficult for me (although I am quite good at improvising in drama).**

* * *

List of songs used: 

_Don't Stop Believin'- Journey_

 _Holy Ground- Taylor Swift_

 _Jesus Christ- Brand New_

 _Favorite Record- Fall Out Boy_

 _Living Louder- The Cab_

 _Can You Find Me?- The Summer Set_

 _For Baltimore- All Time Low_

 _Walking Contradiction- Green Day_

 _Autumn Leaves- Ed Sheeran_

 _This Is Halloween- Panic At The Disco (cover)_

 _ **All songs belong to their original artist :)**_


End file.
